Sourdough Starter

Picture, if you will, a swaying wagon train following a cattle drive fording the Red River in the mid-1800s as it passes north from Texas into Oklahoma, on its way to the trailhead and stockyards in Kansas City. As the pioneers set up camp, the "cookie" arranges the vittles and brings out the sourdough starter, which is much like this one, to prepare the bread. At around the same time in history, a gnarled and bearded '49er pioneer outfitted in his new fangled Levi jeans prepares for a day panning for gold in northern California by taking a piece of starter from his wooden pail and making up a sourdough loaf. Such is the stuff of culinary legend, but sourdough is rooted in this very real heritage.

San Francisco is often thought of as the sourdough capital of the United States, probably because sourdough bread has remained popular there ever since Gold Rush days. Making the initial starter is a three-day process, so plan ahead if you want to make sourdough for the first time. You may need to visit a natural foods store to find the organic stone ground unbleached white flour.